The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 15, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

This sequel to the well-imagined Illuminate (2012) falls off slightly but continues the mostly interesting story.

After the fall of the insidious Lexington Hotel, Haven, her boyfriend, Lance, and her friend Dante head off to New Orleans, where they’ll ostensibly become high school volunteers on numerous projects. Recruited and led by Connor, they really join a group of angels-in-training, volunteering by day but strengthening their powers at night. Each of them will face a challenge that may tempt them to abandon their angel status and join the devils. Early on, they encounter a raucous group called the Krewe, which goes on bloody rampages at night. Clearly, these are the devils they’ll have to fight, but Haven has other problems. In the haunted mansion next door, Haven meets Lucian, the devil from the Lexington Hotel who nearly captured her heart and who now needs her help to escape the underworld. Agresti again focuses on Haven’s developing powers and on her relationships, but the battles with the devils that introduced action in the previous book seem less suspenseful this time, as readers see them mostly from afar. This time, although said to be much stronger than before, they emerge only as an occasional threat and so feel less dangerous. The plotline with Lucian stands out as the most interesting part of the story.

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